Thank you, Msgr. Perez and TIA, for the Divine Mercy Devotion warning. For a long time I have had reservations about, especially since, like you, Monsignor, I felt an immediate repulsion toward the picture.

Also, at my Church (before I left the Novus Ordo) , it was the charismatic “Catholics” that immediately took it up and began to push it. I list below some other strange things – in addition to the ones you mentioned - in the Divine Mercy in my Soul Diary by Sister Faustina Kowalski, which is why I have avoided it.

“When the priest approached me again, I raised the host for him to put back into the chalice, because when I had first received Jesus I could not speak before consuming the host, and so could not tell Him that the other host had fallen. But while I was holding the host in my hand, I felt such a power of love that for the rest of the day I could neither eat nor come to my senses. I heard these words from the host: I desired to rest in your hands, not only in your heart.” (p. 89)

Jesus tells her “You are a sweet grape and a chosen cluster; I want others to have a share in the juice that is flowing within you.” (p. 176)

He also tells her “For your sake I will withhold the hand which punishes; for your sake I will bless the Earth.” (p. 191)

And this: “And know this, too, My daughter: All creatures, whether they know it or not, and whether they want to or not, always fulfill My will … My daughter, if you wish, I will this instant create a new world, more beautiful than this one, and you will live there for the rest of your life.” (p. 247)

Jesus says: “For many souls will turn back from the gates of Hell and worship My mercy.” (page 260)

He also says: “If they will not adore My mercy, they will perish for all eternity” (page 347) and, on the same lines, “I desire that My mercy be worshipped.” (page 382)

On the presumption of Sister Faustina in announcing her holiness, there is also this:

Christ supposedly told her: “Tell the Superior General to count on you as the most faithful daughter in the Order.”(p. 417)

Faustina writes: “When I took the Messenger of the Sacred Heart into my hand and read the account of the canonization of St. Andrew Bobola, my soul was instantly filled with a great longing that our congregation, too, might have a saint and I wept like a child that there was no saint in our midst. And I said to the Lord, ‘I know your generosity, and yet it seems to me that you are less generous towards us.’ And I began again to weep like a little child. And the Lord Jesus said to me, ‘Don’t cry. You are that saint.’”(p. 583)

After receiving Communion, Sr. Faustina said, “Jesus transform me into another host!… You are a great and all-powerful Lord; you can grant me this favor. And the Lord answered me, ‘You are a living host.’” (p. 643)

We can also see why John Paul II wanted to promote this devotion because Jesus supposedly told Sr. Faustina this: “I bear a special love for Poland, and if she will be obedient to My will, I will exalt her in might and holiness. From her will come forth the spark that will prepare the world for My final coming.”(p. 612) This has been interpreted to mean that God’s chosen person was John Paul II, the Polish Pope. In fact, he is often called the Divine Mercy Pope.

Finally, I would like to point out that I know priests who have told their faithful to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet to replace the Rosary because there are so many more graces to be received from it, and it is more beneficial for these times. This seems to me a distraction from the message of Fatima, where Our Lady told us to pray the Rosary daily. She repeated this instruction with urgency at each apparition.

In our family, we continue to do as Our Lady requested, to pray the Rosary and make reparation for our sins and the increasing blasphemies against her Immaculate Heart. This is the safe and sure path.

D.D.

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My Experience with the Divine Mercy Devotion

Dear TIA,

'I've been reading your site for years now and I have to say, I've really learned a lot from it. There have been so many things I had questions about, things that seemed strange or wrong to me, but I couldn' t figure out why they bothered me. Then, it seemed as though I almost always would find the answer in one of your articles. I thank you for that!

My main reason for writing you is, I think you are completely right about the divine mercy devotion (I can't capitalize it). Some months back, I found a pamphlet about it at my church. I felt drawn to it. Of course, at the time I figured that God was leading me to it. Was I wrong!

Since it was so appealing, I started saying it every day for someone I was praying for. Also, I was hopeful of the "great graces" it promised. Wrong again.

What actually happened was I began to gradually feel a strange aversion to prayer, religious images and, worst of all, Church Doctrine. For the first time ever, I began to seriously question what was so terrible about homosexuality, prostitution, sex outside of marriage, contraception, etc. Although I didn't physically commit any of these sins, I was seriously mocking the Church in my thoughts, and starting to read and watch things that supported my new "philosophy".

Worst of all, I felt an attraction to anything evil or demonic. I could not explain any of this, and I began to wonder where the "great graces" were. I naively assumed that since I was saying extra prayers, the devil was just trying to "distract" me.

But God's grace must have still been with me, because deep down I still felt bad about offending Him. And I was still, with much difficulty, trying to say my usual daily prayers.

Anyway, I became so repulsed by prayer that I stopped, but for a few Hail Marys and Our Fathers over the course of the day. And, to my surprise, once I quit praying the phony divine mercy devotion, those strange thoughts and temptations ceased, and my mind and soul became clear and orderly again. (I'm also trying to get back into the habit of the daily Rosary. I've missed it!)

I just wanted to thank you for that article. I can certainly attest to it! And since God was so good as to help me come back, I want to warn others. Stay away from that thing!

By the way, as soon as I'd read your article, I ripped up that pamphlet and put in the garbage where it belongs!

I'm sorry this is so long, but I really felt I should tell it. Thank you for reading. God bless you, and keep us all safe.